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Passover is a holiday with many different themes.  This breadth ensures that no two seders will ever be exactly alike and encourages each of us to engage equally, whether this is the first or hundredth seder you’ve attended.  It also challenges each of us to connect to the seder on a personal, individual level.  The themes offered are just a sampling, what other themes are you drawn to? Redemption: In the Exodus story, the Jews were redeemed physically from slavery. While...

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This set of readings was formulated in order to highlight and celebrate Miriam’s role in the deliverance from slavery and her leadership throughout the wandering in the wilderness. When the seder table is set, we place an empty cup alongside Elijah’s cup. Each attendee at the seder then pours a bit of his or her water into the cup. This contribution symbolizes that, at every stage of her life, Miriam was integral in the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. We...

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רַבּוֹתַי נְבָרֵךְ All who sit around these tables, Friends and strangers, In peaceful conversation And pleasant disagreement, Those who remember and those who are remembered, On this Pesakh, We have shared this fine meal And such a fine story, We take this moment to acknowledge That we are blessed And, in our turn, We bless. בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבָרוּך שְׁמוֹ Blessed be the Creator and the created, Blessed be the sustainers and the sustained. Blessed be the eaters and the eaten, Blessed...

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What a blessing to come from a culture that has such a rich story to tell, so full of symbols, like bitter herbs and charoset.

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When we eat the maror, it makes our eyes water. Its bitterness turns our faces red. We lose control for a moment, and laugh because it's freeing. We cannot keep up appearances while eating maror, and so we don't try to.Our sinuses open up. We cry. We laugh. We cry, and we laugh at our crying.

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Discuss as a group or in pairs at the Seder table: 1. Egypt, “mitzrayim” in Hebrew, comes from the word “tzar”: the “narrow place,” the constricted place. In what way are you personally still constricted? Are you able to see yourself as part of the unity of all being, a manifestation of God’s love on earth? Are you able to overcome the ego issues that separate us from each other? Can you see the big picture, or do you get so...

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Some find it surprising that at the Passover Seder, we discuss weighty themes of slavery and freedom and redemption, but the culmination, the grand finale of the entire seder, is Had Gadya - basically the Jewish version of “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly.” In fact, there has been a lot of confusion in Jewish tradition about how this folk song for children managed to work its way into the Haggadah, such that it is now sung in...

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Our seder is over and done as best we could. May healing come to all the nations of the world. And may we find ourselves next year exactly where we ought to be!

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by Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled...

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We will drink the first of four cups of wineAnd give up controlTo the wine, to the story, to God.We are in Mitzrayim, the narrow place, And God says to us:I Shall Take You Out,I Shall Rescue You,I Shall Redeem You,I Shall Take You to Me. Sanctify the day with the First Cup.I Shall Take You Out, sez God,From the burdens of Egypt.That's nice.  But what about The burdens of now?War, sex slavery, exploitation, inequality,Not much changes.We better get out from...

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In Talmud Pesachim, Rava teaches, "A person who swallows matzah without chewing fills the mitzvah, the commandment, to eat matzah. However, a person who swallows maror without chewing doesn't fulfill the mitzvah to eat maror." Matzah is Biblical fast food. Matzah is flat because the Hebrews were in such a hurry to get out of Egypt, they didn't wait for their bread to rise. They rushed out, eating crackers, because they had to eat something. Matzah is optimistic, portable, light and...

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This song was written to be part of Fiddler on the Roof, but was cut from the show before it made its Broadway debut for being too slow, and comic at a moment in the show when the people of Anatevka are experiencing tragedy. It imagines a world in which the Messiah is coming, but lost, and worried about us. Words and music by Sheldon Harnick When Messiah comes he will say to us, “I apologize that I took so long.”...

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What a blessing to have friends at our table with whom to share this meal.

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What a blessing to live on an earth that reawakens each spring to put forth fruits and vegetables.

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The Seder Plate We place a Seder Plate at our table as a reminder to discuss certain aspects of the Passover story. Each item has its own significance. Maror – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the harshness of lives of the Jews in Egypt. Charoset – A delicious mix of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt Karpas – A green vegetable, usually parsley, is...

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What a blessing to live in a world in which grass in the field can turn into bread. What a blessing to come from a culture that has such a rich story to tell, so full of symbols, like these matzot.

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A small piece of onion, parsley, or boiled potato is dipped into saltwater and eaten (after reciting the blessing over vegetables). Dipping the karpas is a sign of luxury and freedom. The saltwater represents the tears of our ancestors in Mitzrayim. This year may it also represent tears of Black parents and families mourning the loss of their Black youth at the hands of police brutality. 

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So this is Maggid,The part of the seder where we tell the storyOf leaving Egypt.Actually,We spend more time talking about talking about the storyThen telling the actual story.Very meta is our haggadah,With many numbers,Lots of fours:Four questionsFour cups of wineFour children, Four ways of asking,Why is this night different from all other nights? The first child, Book smart.The wise childKnows all the rules.He's direct,No messin' around,This is what you do on Pesach:Tell the storyDip the herbsReclineDrink four cupsDon't eat leavened breadAsk...

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What a blessing to live in a world in which fruit on the vine can turn into wine. What a blessing to come from a culture that tells stories and celebrates the seasons. What a blessing to exist in a universe that, after billions of years, has arrived at this moment, here and now, with us gathered around this table.

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Our seder is over and done as best we could. May healing come to all the nations of the world. And may we find ourselves next year exactly where we ought to be!

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What a blessing to have friends at our table with whom to share this meal.